Certain known electrocautery instruments for performing surgery with simultaneous hemostasis commonly become fouled with tissue and protein that adhere to the electrode. In order to maintain the efficient usefulness of such instruments throughout a surgical procedure, it is necessary to clean or replace the electrode frequently. In addition, it is usually desirable to have a suction port close to the tissue being cut and cauterized in order to remove the tissue rubble, blood, smoke and the like, that are present at the electrocautery site. And, it is usually desirable to perform the operations of electrocautery and evacuation of the site in selectable order rather than simultaneously. Devices which have these features are discussed in the literature (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,884,237, 3,906,955 and 3,828,780). However, these devices provide little or no control over the deployment of the electrode relative to the insulating handle in order to provide control of cutting and cauterization of tissue as well as to facilitate cleaning and evacuation of the operating site.